USA Gymnastics doctor 'abused 265 girls'
USA Gymnastics, the sport’s US governing body, said on Wednesday all its remaining directors have now resigned following revelations that the longtime team doctor had sexually abused numerous athletes under his care.
Michigan prosecutors said in court on Wednesday they have identified more than 265 victims in all. At least 65 victims were expected to offer statements, either written or spoken, during the Eaton County hearing, which is scheduled to last at least three days.
A USA Gymnastics spokeswoman said on Friday that the full board intended to resign. The US Olympic Committee had threatened to revoke the organization’s governing authority if the full board had not stepped down by Wednesday, following the sentencing of former team doctor Larry Nassar to up to 175 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to sexual assault charges.
Michigan prosecutors said in court on Wednesday they have identified more than 265 victims in all. At least 65 victims were expected to offer statements, either written or spoken, during the Eaton County hearing, which is scheduled to last at least three days.
The case has already had major ramifications far beyond the courtroom. Dozens of victims, including international stars like the gold medalist Simone Biles, have accused officials at the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Gymnastics (USAG) and Michigan State University (MSU) - where Nassar also worked—of failing to investigate complaints stretching back decades.
The scandal's fallout has forced top officials at MSU and USAG's entire board of directors to step down. Congress is investigating both institutions as well as USOC, while Michigan's attorney general is probing the school's handling of the Nassar case.
‘We are in the process of moving forward with forming an interim board of directors during the month of February, in accordance with the USOC’s requirements,’ USA Gymnastics said in a statement. ‘USA Gymnastics will provide information about this process within the next few days.’
The USOC has urged USA Gymnastics to name an interim board of directors by the end of February
About 150 of Nassar’s victims, including Olympic gold medal-winning gymnasts Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber, testified at a sentencing hearing last week for the doctor.
Nassar is back in court on Wednesday for the start of a sentencing hearing on a separate set of sex abuse crimes to which he pled guilty.
The revelations of the long-running abuses have prompted at least four wide-ranging investigations into possible sex abuse at US athletic federations and schools, with the USOC, both houses of Congress and the US Education Department opening probes.
Victims and their attorneys have also called for investigations into the USOC itself, to see if anyone there knowingly overlooked claims against Nassar.
Raisman, one of the best-known faces of the sport in the United States, vowed on Friday to keep the pressure on sports organizations to see who else knew about Nassar’s abuse.
Nassar worked for the federation through four Olympic Games, but the allegations did not become public until 2016 in an investigative report by the Indianapolis Star.